Despite many protests and after much debate, effective June 25, 2002, the
animal warden of Akron, Ohio can legally pick up any "unowned" cat and kill
him/her within 5 days. This means that feral cats, stray cats, and lost,
unclaimed cats can legally be killed for no reason other than not having a
home. On the same day this law went into effect, a news report announced that
cats in Akron were being terrorized by "pranksters."

NEWS ARTICLES:

June 24, 2002

AKRON, Ohio -- Effective June 25, 2002, Akron's animal warden can legally
pick up any cat found off its owner's property and kill it within five days
starting Tuesday. It's estimated that 3,500 cats will be picked up in the
course of a year and about 85 percent will be euthanized.

June 25, 2002

AKRON, Ohio -- Cats in an Akron neighborhood are being terrorized by
pranksters. Police are trying to figure out why someone would intentionally
blow up a cat. It happened over the weekend on East Lodge Street in the
northern part of the city. The cat's owner said someone strapped an M-80 type
of explosive firework to the cat's neck, eventually killing the animal. "And
since that didn't kill him, they put one strap around its body. And that blew
him up, blew him up. And that poor little cat did nothing wrong to nobody.
And we're all hurting around here," cat owner Pseudora Ruffin said.

June 27, 2002

AKRON, Ohio -- A 14-year-old was arrested Wednesday night in a case of animal
abuse in Akron. According to NewsChannel5, the teen admitted to blowing up a
cat. The cat belonged to Pseudora Ruffin. She found her pet decapitated by
the force of an M-80 firecracker.

On June 24, 2002, News Net 5 reported that, thanks to your decision, Akron's
animal warden can legally pick up any cat found off his/her owner's property
and kill him/her within five days starting Tuesday. It's estimated that 3,500
cats will be picked up in the course of a year and about 85 percent will be
euthanized. Of course, the word "euthanized" is used incorrectly in this
report. Euthanasia means "mercy killing." What Akron is doing is anything but
mercy killing; Akron is "convenience killing."

On June 25, 2002, News Net 5 reported that cats in an Akron neighborhood are
being terrorized by pranksters. A male cat was literally blown up by someone
who strapped an M-80 type of explosive firework to the cat's neck. Since the
first explosion did not kill the cat, a second M-80 firework was attached to
the cat's body to finish the job.

You have sent a clear message to Akron that life is worthless, especially the
lives of "unowned" cats -- cats who are homeless because of human
irresponsibility, ignorance, and greed. Because you have taught the community
that life is expendable, people will treat it as such.

According to the News Net 5 article regarding the tortured/murdered cat,
"police are trying to figure out why someone would intentionally blow up a
cat." All the police have to do is look at the community leaders and they
will be able to clearly see why this incident took place. A community run by
men and women who have no compassion or respect for life produces community
members who will follow their lead.

Before you add to the killing and murder an estimated 3,500 cats this year, I
implore you to look at the alternatives. Trap-Neuter-Release programs are
proven effective. If you do not want to release the cats back into the
community, the exorbitant amount of money that you will spend on murdering
the cats year after year could be used to build a sanctuary or to work with
local and non-local rescue groups who want to help.

Teach your community that life is precious and that wanton killing is not
acceptable. If you do not do this, your community will only reap what it sows
and produce more violent people who do not understand the concept of
"no-kill."